The present invention pertains to improved shelf life for confectionery products having a relatively high level of moisture absorbing ingredients, and more particularly pertains to sour confectionery products and methods for producing sour confectionery products to provide improved shelf life and consumer acceptance.
A wide variety of sour confectionery products have gained increased preference among consumers. In particular, there has been a recent trend toward increasingly sour tasting confectionery products, including gum products among others.
It is known to use citric acid, tartaric acid, and/or other food acids to provide confectionery products with a sour sensation. For imparting a conventional, low-level sourness to confectionery products, citric acid or other food acid is mixed in with the confectionery product. However, when attempting to provide high levels of sourness in confectionery products, e.g. when providing citric acid, tartaric acid, or other food acid in a ratio of approximately 3% food acid to confectionery by weight or greater, several shortcomings are realized. Principal amongst these shortcomings is that the hygroscopic characteristic of citric and other food acids results in an unacceptably large amount of water being absorbed by the product, thereby shortening its shelf life to an unacceptable level. Also, direct contact of high concentrations of citric and/or other food acids with the internal mouth surfaces and/or the tongue of the consumer may result in discomfort to the consumer.
Hence, there is a need for confectionery products and methods for producing confectionery products which allows for high levels of citric and/or other food acids to be provided for imparting the desired high-level sourness, while preventing the water absorption problems currently encountered with high-level citric acid or other food acid confectionery products. There is also a need for such high-level citric and/or other food acid confectionery products and methods for producing such confectionery products which do not cause discomfort to the consumer.
Additionally, there is a trend toward stronger xe2x80x9cburstsxe2x80x9d of sensations in confectionery products such as flavors, cooling agents, sweetness, and the like. This may be achieved by providing relatively high concentrations of the ingredients or agents which produce these sensations. Many of these ingredients have relatively high moisture absorbing properties. Such high concentrations of relatively high moisture absorbing ingredients in typical confectionery products results in them having unacceptably short shelf lives due to moisture absorption deteriorating the quality of the product.
In accordance with one aspect of the present invention, a confectionery product having citric acid in it in an amount of 2% or greater of citric acid to confectionery product is provided, in which the citric acid is at least substantially entrapped and encased by the confectionery product.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the invention, an elongated strip of confectionery product is provided having an upper layer of confectionery product, a lower layer of confectionery product, and a layer of citric and/or other food acid encased between the upper and lower confectionery product layers wherein the citric and/or other food acids are present in a ratio of greater than 3% by weight of the overall confectionery product.
In accordance with another aspect of the present invention, an elongated strand or strip of confectionery product is produced by extruding first and second sheets of confectionery, applying citric acid to one or more surfaces of the sheets of confectionery, and securing the first and second sheets of confectionery to one another to at least substantially encase the citric acid internally of the sheets of confectionery.
In accordance with a still further aspect of the present invention, high concentrations of sensation producing ingredients having relatively high moisture absorbing properties are encased in confectionery product having significantly lower moisture absorbing properties, to provide reduced moisture absorption of the product and extended shelf life.